Catastrophic but not fatal: The verdict of Ron DeSantis' chaotic Twitter campaign

Commenters say Ron DeSantis' decision to launch his Twitter Spaces campaign was a «missed opportunity.» Photo: Ron DeSantis via Reuters.

The chaotic launch of Ron DeSantis' Twitter campaign will hurt in the short term, but it's far from an irreparable failure.

It has damaged the reputation he's earned as governor of Florida. impeccable, organized and competent.

And this will undermine his attempt to pit his own professionalism against the unpredictable nature of Donald Trump.

It was also a missed opportunity for Mr. DeSantis to get his message across to voters and gain support in the polls.

However, the Iowa caucuses are still eight months away, and it's unlikely that the only vote will be determined by the fact that Twitter didn't do well to announce it.

Eric Erickson, a popular American conservative radio host, said: “It was brave. This turned out to be a mistake. It can be restored.

«But it's a reminder that some things need to be under the complete control of a candidate, especially launch day.»

Mr. DeSantis himself was not in charge of Twitter. breaks.

And, ultimately, the fiasco could lead to an even closer alliance with its powerful owner Elon Musk.

Mr. Musk may feel compelled to help Florida's governor's campaign.

Mr. DeSantis remains Mr. Trump's only credible challenger and will be in the race for the long term.

When he finally started talking about launching Twitter, he was slick and on top of political detail.

His campaign can really take some comfort in the number of people who have tried to tune into it.

DESANTIS: «It broke the internet because so many people were excited to be in this Twitter Space.» pic.twitter.com/RkE1kIM61T

— Florida Voice (@FLVoiceNews), May 25, 2023

But politicians of all persuasions were unanimous that the decision to bypass traditional media to launch was a mistake.

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Lees Smith, chief of service of Barack Obama's 2012 campaign, said, «You never get a second chance to make a first impression.»

That's why most presidential [campaigns] fail in the smallest details of the launch — location, music, frame, program, speech, etc.

«It's incomprehensible that you messed it up.»